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Medics say the girl has a 55 per cent of surviving but could suffer further complications (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Newslions)

Doctors in India say they are stunned after a woman gave birth to a baby with three heads despite undergoing a normal pregnancy.

The rare birth defect, called an encephalocele, was seen at a health centre in Etah in the country’s Uttar Pradesh district on July 11.

Doctors were left in shock when the woman from Pilua, a nearby village, gave birth to the baby girl who has two large protrusions formed from the back of her skull. She was admitted after suffering extreme pain in the build-up to the delivery.

Bijji Thakur was present at the birth. He said: ‘The girl child had three heads. She looked like an alien.’

Because the centre lacked proper medical facilities, the girl has now been referred to the District Hospital in Etah where she will undergo an MRI, giving doctors detailed images of the inside of her body.

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Rajesh Thakur, Chief Medical Superintendent at the Etah District Hospital, said doctors would separate the ‘heads’ after the MRI.

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Although rare, numerous cases of Encephalocele have been reported, especially in Africa.

The defect is caused by part of the skull not forming properly.

Babies diagnosed with encephalocele have a 55 per cent although the condition can also lead to other complications. 75 per cent of survivors can develop mental illness.

In March, surgeons in India successfully operated on an infant with two heads at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The girl has been referred to a district hospital (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Newslions)

After worries he would not be able to afford treatment, his father tried to bury him alive but the infant was later rescued by police.

He has been adopted by his uncle.

Also, a five-month-old infant had protrusions around his head removed after surgery in Bengalru, the capital of the country’s Karnataka state.